As the Christmas spirit spreads, it takes form in the shape of decorations that adorn people’s homes and towns. In recent times there has been a shift from maximalist styles to minimalist decorations. In Kochi, this can be seen all across markets, including Broadway, which is the city’s go-to spot for all things Christmas in the city.
Navneeth N M an architect from Kochi, says, this Christmas he is going for a dual tone colour theme, influenced by social media trends. “I had always gone with a multicolour LED setup for most of my Christmas celebrations, but this time I fixed a theme of red and warm white,” he says.
Ittoop, who runs a wholesale shop in Broadway, echoes a similar observation. “Customer’s preferences have changed, with multicolored LED lights slowly disappearing from Christmas shopping lists. This year, beige white, red and black, etc, are the most sold colours,” he says.
According to him, exposure to trends from foreign countries has influenced what people buy for Christmas. “Most now choose snow themed decorations and white muted colours for their holy figures and nativity scenes,” he says.
Reindeers and stockings, that are not so typical Indian decors, have now become a common sight in Christmas markets.
Warm tone stars and minimal LED lights fill the stores across markets.
But not everyone wants these muted themes and subtle decors.
There are those who still want to go all out for the season along with hand-made stars, like the ones that were made together by family members using wood and cloth and adding a light bulb inside it.
Near Marine Drive, a street vendor named Veruchami, from Palakkad, always comes to Kochi every year to make stars and Christmas cribs by hand. “I make the stars according to what people ask me. Despite ready-made stars and cribs being easily available, there are plenty of customers who come to give orders for the same in different sizes”.
With just four more days until Christmas, Kochi is gearing up for spirited celebrations, no matter what style of decorations they prefer.c